ferment
Americannoun
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Also called organized ferment. any of a group of living organisms, as yeasts, molds, and certain bacteria, that cause fermentation.
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Also called unorganized ferment. an enzyme.
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agitation; unrest; excitement; commotion; tumult.
The new painters worked in a creative ferment.
The capital lived in a political ferment.
verb (used with object)
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to act upon as a ferment.
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to cause to undergo fermentation.
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to inflame; foment.
to ferment prejudiced crowds to riot.
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to cause agitation or excitement in.
Reading fermented his active imagination.
verb (used without object)
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to be fermented; undergo fermentation.
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to seethe with agitation or excitement.
noun
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any agent or substance, such as a bacterium, mould, yeast, or enzyme, that causes fermentation
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another word for fermentation
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commotion; unrest
verb
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to undergo or cause to undergo fermentation
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to stir up or seethe with excitement
Other Word Forms
- fermentability noun
- fermentable adjective
- fermenter noun
- nonfermentability noun
- nonfermentable adjective
- nonfermented adjective
- nonfermenting adjective
- unfermentable adjective
- unfermented adjective
- unfermenting adjective
- well-fermented adjective
Etymology
Origin of ferment
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin fermentum “yeast” (noun), fermentāre “to cause to rise” (verb), equivalent to fer(vēre) “to boil” + -mentum -ment ( def. ); fervent
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For that sugar to then ferment and produce alcohol, the person giving the sample would also need to have a yeast infection, she wrote.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026
The familiar chewy texture and tangy flavor of sourdough come from a complex mix of microorganisms that ferment the dough.
From Science Daily • Jan. 21, 2026
Some of the best bits of “Carole King” are those that give nonmusical readers insight into the creative ferment of the industry.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 16, 2025
Does the party have the means to ferment a counterculture that is agile, tech-savvy, and fashionable?
From Slate • Jun. 12, 2025
If so, the adoption of Algonkian in the Northeast would mark an era of spiritual ferment and heady conversion, much like the time when Islam rose and spread Arabic throughout the Middle East.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
